S-1603               _______________________________________________

                                           SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 120

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1985 Regular Session

By Senators Williams and McDermott

Read first time 2/8/85 and referred to Committee on Energy and Utilities.

TO THE HONORABLE RONALD REAGAN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

          We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

          WHEREAS, Ending all nuclear tests has long been regarded internationally as the single most important, feasible, and attainable way to stop further technological advances in the arms race; and

          WHEREAS, A Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty has been a foreign policy goal of the past six administrations in the United States and has been called for in dozens of United Nations proposals; and

          WHEREAS, A Comprehensive Test Ban will not affect the strategic competition between the two superpowers, as testing for the MX and Trident missiles has been completed; and

          WHEREAS, If nuclear testing is banned, nations with nuclear weapons would be encouraged to limit these weapons and countries without nuclear weapons would be incapable of carrying out a nuclear weapons development program; and

          WHEREAS, A Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty would limit proliferation of nuclear weapons by arresting the qualitative development of nuclear arsenals, as testing nuclear weapons enables the development of new and more destructive weapons; and

          WHEREAS, The reliability of weapons stockpiles can be checked by nonnuclear testing methods; and

          WHEREAS, Current national technical means and verification measures can detect nuclear tests at extremely low kilotonnage; and

          WHEREAS, Nuclear tests have leaked radiation, endangering workers and people living downwind from test sites; and

          WHEREAS, An end to testing would reduce nuclear pollution; and

          WHEREAS, A Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty would increase national and international security, because those nations signing the treaty would be demonstrating their commitment to eventually ending the nuclear arms race.

          NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the United States resume negotiations toward conclusion and ratification of a comprehensive, multinational verifiable test ban treaty, halt the testing of all nuclear warheads, and halt nuclear explosions for peaceful purposes as well.

          BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Ronald Reagan, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.